One final time, Desmond King will walk out of the tunnel wearing his Iowa Hawkeye No. 14 uniform. The senior cornerback will play in the Jan. 2 Outback Bowl and then start concentrating on an NFL career.
Hawk Central

Iowa cornerback Desmond King bobbles the ball but is able to recover as he and Iowa cornerback Joshua Jackson (right) and MichiganÕs Brandon Watson go after the ball Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
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Iowa wide receiver Riley McCarron (83) is congratulated by defensive back Desmond King (14) after McCarron returned of a punt for a touchdown during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.
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Desmond King discusses things with an official during Iowa's 14-7 win Saturday at Rutgers. For the second straight week, King is not a gameday captain. It'll be C.J. Beathard, LeShun Daniels Jr., injured Matt VandeBerg and Josey Jewell.
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Iowa's Greg Mabin, left, and Desmond King celebrate a stop during the Hawkeyes' Big Ten Championship game against Michigan State at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015.
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Iowa cornerback Desmond King announced on Tuesday that he was going to return to the Hawkeyes for his senior season. The Jim Thorpe Award winner caught a school-record tying eight interceptions and earned All-American honors.
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University of Iowa defensive back Desmond King (14) and defensive back Anthony Gair (12) celebrate during a NCAA Division I Football game between Northwestern University and the University of Iowa at Ryan Field on October 17, 2015 in Evanston, Illinois
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Iowa cornerback Desmond King celebrates after nabbing one of his two picks in the first half against Pitt on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
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After the pass reception, Iowa State's #5 Allen Lazard, right, tried to fight off Iowa's #14 Desmond King in the fourth quarter in football game played at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday Sept. 13, 2014.
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Returning to play football at Iowa for his senior season wasn’t an easy decision, but the nation’s top cornerback in 2015 seems happy to still be here, on track to get his college degree.

In his first interview with Iowa media since the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl, King said “it was the bond I have with my teammates here” that ultimately brought him back. Some NFL Draft projections had him going as a late first-round choice. King didn't expand on the evaluation he received in late December, but said it was favorable.

That's in the past now. The present is this: He and C.J. Beathard share the cover of Iowa’s 2016 spring media guide.

King wore a cowboy hat and boots earlier this year at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

It’s their team this year, so it’s fitting that King conferred with the all-Big Ten Conference quarterback about what he called a tough decision.

“(Teammates) gave me my space, but I honestly called C.J. myself and talked to him about it,” King said. “He just said whatever my decision is, he hopes it’s the best one for me. Once he found out I came back, he was very, very happy.”

It’ll be difficult for King to repeat, let alone beat, what he did a year ago. He intercepted eight passes, all in Iowa’s first nine games, in leading a revived Hawkeye program to a record-setting 12-0 regular season and a spot in the Big Ten title game and the Rose Bowl.

He won the Jim Thorpe and Jack Tatum awards, presented to the nation’s top defensive back. He was a consensus all-American, only the second Hawkeye defender in Kirk Ferentz’s 17 years to achieve such status – joining defensive end Adrian Clayborn in 2010.

King’s offseason awards tour took him to Atlanta, Columbus and Oklahoma City.

“There’s a better chance I can have another (Rolex) this year coming up,” King said. “That’s the goal, to be perfect at everything I do and see what happens.”

Perfection came from King’s lips a few times after Friday’s open practice at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines. He said he needs to work on “everything … to make sure it’s all perfect, to make sure it’s game-ready. Because you have to practice how you want to play.”

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Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz signs the jacket of Tom Moon of Stuart, Iowa, Friday, April 8, 2016, during the Iowa football team's practice at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines.
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Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard poses for a photo with Josh Miller, 8, of Clive and Jacob Nguyen, 7 of West Des Moines Friday, April 8, 2016, during the Iowa football team's practice at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines.
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Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard (16) hands off the ball to running back LeShun Daniels, Jr., Friday, April 8, 2016, during the Haweye's open practice at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines.
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Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard (16) awaits the next play as fans gather in the stands Friday, April 8, 2016, during the Haweye's open practice at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines.
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Kyle Schumacher, 8, makes a tackle Friday, April 8, 2016, during a football camp for kids following the Iowa football team's open practice at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines.
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Iowa players cheer as Fitz Carpenter, 7, makes the falling catch Friday, April 8, 2016, during a football camp for kids following the Iowa football team's open practice at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines.
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Iowa running back Akrum Wadley takes a photo with Cole Radke, 8 (left), and Owen Evans, 8, both of Adel Friday, April 8, 2016, during the Iowa football team's practice at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines.
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Lauren Tegeler, 9, pushes past obstacles Friday, April 8, 2016, as she participates in a football camp for kids following the Haweye's open practice at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines.
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That’s the type of language Ferentz likes to hear from his senior leaders. He has said King needs to elevate his game and leadership within the bond-building Iowa Football Performance Center.

“It’s like all of our experienced guys. We’re not going to have a good football team if those guys don’t play better than they did a year ago,” Ferentz said Friday night. “I said back in January, it may not show up statistically, but he can still lead better. He can still play with more precision. Every player can. That’s been his attitude. He’s working hard, doing a good job.”

Leadership is where Iowa needs King the most in 2016.

It's unrealistic to think he'll match the eight interceptions of last season, which he would need to break the career school record of 18 shared by Nile Kinnick and Devon Mitchell. Teams probably won't throw to his side of the field that much.

But if he can be the vocal captain of the secondary like safety Jordan Lomax was a year ago, the Hawkeye defense will be that much closer to ... well, perfection.

King seems to be off to a good start in embracing his dual role as a lock-down corner and locker-room leader.

“We have younger guys in the back end like Josh Jackson and Michael Ojemudia … that need to learn a little bit more,” said King, who will be flanked at the other corner spot by third-year senior starter Greg Mabin. “Because once this year’s over, they’re the next two guys. They need to learn and follow the same route as the seniors.”